ACADIA 2011

ACADIA 2011 Regional - Parametricism: Student Performance Criteria (SPC), is set to complement ACADIA’s mission of facilitating communication and critical thinking regarding the use of computers in architecture, with a specific focus on the impact of education and how computation and computational thinking, particularly the concept of Parametricism*, is poised to evolve design thinking and the future of architectural practice. In a type of radical parametric pragmatism, we invite sessions, papers, and discussions to the ACADIA Regional Conference that projectively interrogate a parametric frontier which both engages and surpasses fulfillment of SPC, and other regulatory criteria, in the pursuit of design innovation and elegance. Far from a solitary academic endeavor, it is our goal that the conference becomes a conversational interface between practitioners, educators, researchers, designers, and students. Each, bringing implementations in computational and parametric based design, development, production, management, and manufacturing that have infiltrated, integrated, and excelled working methodologies and resultants. * Patrik Schumacher

By employing the NAAB’s SPC in relationship to comprehensive design and computation, the conference hopes to highlight SPC’s, not as obstructions to design, but as necessary polyvariable parameters that assist innovation. Basically, to not shun the pragmatics of performance criteria, building regulations, and neighborhood guidelines . . but to use parametric modeling and computational generation to optimize, subvert, and conceptualize from within the prescribed performance and qualitative requirements. The conference also seeks implementation strategies that can more readily engage computation across entire curricula and operations - outside the design studio/process - thus influencing systems, environments, structures, urban design, planning, site, policy, and professional practice. Prompting a shift from information-oriented lecture courses to hands-on instrumentation labs that better integrate knowledge and ability with the potential for evolving a comprehensive integrated design curriculum.

Conference Chairs:
Tim Hemsath, Steve(n) Hardy, and Janghwan Cheon